Radio Flyer

In reply to "State of Confusion" The dogs injuries do seem to disappear rather abruptly, but that may have only been an error in continuity. But, as for the kids trying to build a plane out of junk, it's just a simple matter of imagination. These are two very young kids who have extremely active imaginations and they must rely on those imaginations to keep themselves from being exposed to the reality of the level of abuse that goes on in their home from their stepfather. As for the stepfather, it's very interesting that the director chose to no show his face. That makes him seem more monstrous. If you show his face, then that character becomes a person and not just this "monster" who is terrorizing the childhood of these two innocent children. By showing only the concequences of his abuse and not focusing scenes on the abuse itself, the children then become the main focus of the movie. This film has no loose ends, but runs just as a father's tale to his children would. It has embelleshments. This is a fine American classic.

Sure this movie is kind of unrealistic and sometimes boring but all in all it's a very sweet movie that evokes many wonderful childhood memories.Would I have watched Radio Flyer had it not starred Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazzello?Perhaps not.Wood and Mazzello are incredible in their roles as Mike and Bobby,considering they were only 9 and 7 at the time they started filming the movie.The rest of the cast is alright,no particularly impressive performances from any of them but like I said it's Wood and Mazzello who carry the show through.There was one big surprise though,Tom Hanks.As narrator,well,let's just say after he started off at the beginning of the movie I was this close to switching the T.V off and thus missing quite a good movie. I was disappointed to find out that Radio Flyer didn't exactly hit it off at the box office,I suppose juggling such themes as child abuse and building getaway planes for a 7 year old to fly can be a difficult task. However despite its faults ,I found myself shouting insults at The King when he hit Bobby and laughing at the antics of the boys and their dog Shane.Sure you need a good imagination to enjoy it but we can cough a little of that up can't we?!

This bittersweet slice of magic realism had a checkered production history (director/writer replaced) and tanked at the box office, but it's a helluva film.

Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazzello are pre-teen brothers whose flaky mom (Lorraine Bracco) shacks up with a mean-spirited alcoholic (Adam Baldwin). During his drinking bouts, Baldwin physically abuses Mazzello and manipulates him into remaining silent about his situation. But when Wood cottons on to what's happening, the boys put their heads together and hatch a fantastique solution to Mazzello's devastating dilemma.

I love films that mix fantasy and dark reality. They are rarely successful financially ("Lawn Dogs" is a similar example), but they are usually original and intriguing.

The drunk Baldwin is shot from a low, child's perspective and his head is deliberately lopped off below the top of frame. This device allows us to judge him purely by his actions and as a totally physicalized beast. Both Wood and Mazzello are excellent, and they pull us effortlessly into their dark, frightening world.

The "radio flyer" of the title is a small red wagon kids transport their belongings in. Here it transports a dream.

Seriously interesting stuff.

'Radio Flyer' is really not the sort of film to watch if you are depressed or have had a violent childhood but the storyline makes for a rather bittersweet film. The film revolves around eight-year old Mike and six-year-old Bobby who move to a small town with their mother and new step-father not long after their biological father abandons them. Instead of heralding a fresh start for the boys, their new life turns to terror and misery when their step-father, who likes to be called the King, physically abuses little Bobby. Mike, desperate to protect his little brother, then plans to turn his Radio Flyer trailer into a plane so they can fly away to safety.

Lorraine Bracco, who plays the boys' mother, was quite good in showing the vulnerability, shame and protectiveness of a mother who realises her children are being harmed by her husband and Stephen Baldwin was very effective in portraying the King's vicious, cruel nature even though we never see his face. However, it is a young Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazzello, who play Mike and Bobby respectively, who carry the film and both rise to the occasion brilliantly. Elijah Wood's Mike was portrayed as a very sympathetic character who you truly felt was loyal and loving to his mother and brother despite his tender age while Joseph Mazzello was very sweet and engaging as Bobby, a little boy who just couldn't comprehend why an adult who was meant to care for him was instead hurting him.

As I said before, this film is definitely not for the very young or those who are very sensitive to issues of child abuse because Bobby doesn't just get a smack or two in the film, he is brutalised to the point where you just want to reach through to the screen and give the King a taste of his own medicine. It is quite disturbing to actually see on-screen the treatment this six-year-old endures. That said, 'Radio Flyer' is an endearing film about how even the youngest of children can be brave, loyal and have wills of steel. And with the ending being rather ambiguous, viewers can interpret for themselves what fate met Bobby.

I love this film. It is so multifaceted. I read Melissa's comment and the first time I saw it I agreed with her. The ending with Bobby flying away doesn't make sense. Surely the mother would have fetched him back etc. Then I saw it again and the clue is in the end when 'Mike' (Tom Hanks) finishes telling the story and says to his sons something like...'Now you see what I mean about history being in the mind of the teller? That's the way I choose to remember it.' My reading of the film then changed. Bobby flying away to somewhere safe was merely a metaphor. He never made it. The 'King' eventually killed him. If you don't agree then watch it again.

I love it. I love children and the way their minds work and I think Tom Hanks does a terrific job in bringing the narration to life. The two young boys are absolutely marvellous and both went on to bigger and better things.

This is one of my favourite films.